Taronga Zoo Recent history of Taronga and developments etc

[steveroberts]

An old satellite aerial images of Taronga from 1982 on ArcGIS Web Application (aka Portal.Spatial.NSW.gov.au)

1943

1955

1965

1982

1986

 

[steveroberts]

Guidebook on Ebay (thanks Luckypie8) that was the 4th edition for 1980 so late 1980 and after Betsy & Buluman the gorillas had gone to Melbourne Zoo per their absence on the map. It's from what can see, identical to the 1983 map @snowleopard shared (thanks for posting that by the way). What thought was really cool about it was a quite detailed grid reference for most of the species held at the zoo at the time, especially for mammals and birds (albeit some generalised e.g wombats, and gibbons (though Mary & Robinson the Muller's gibbons were the gibbons at the zoo at the time). The reptiles are listed down a lot more generically, with genuses and or orders, though exceptions e.g alligators (American sp' - doesn't say that but we know), Komodo dragon (Keith - ditto), Galapagos toroises, Aldabra tortoises. Didn't know Taronga had small-toothed palm civets at the time and that the brown bears at the time were both grizzly bears and generic/mixed origins or unknown origins brown bears also (and had assumed polar bears would still be there for a few more years or listed). There are some photos of pages in the guidebook below as jpgs too.

(clicking on should zoom in if it worked; or opening it in a new tab)

 

[steveroberts]

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1968

 

[steveroberts]

*couldn't remember if has been shared on here before, but if so will remove (cool seeing Chori the African elephant and Keith the Komodo dragon among lots of others, like one of the gorillas, and the giant anteaters again; very typical small, cramped, mostly concrete and metal cages of the time though, but a few of the kangaroos and wallabies did have some grass).

 

[Zorro]

*couldn't remember if has been shared on here before, but if so will remove (cool seeing Chori the African elephant and Keith the Komodo dragon among lots of others, like one of the gorillas, and the giant anteaters again; very typical small, cramped, mostly concrete and metal cages of the time though, but a few of the kangaroos and wallabies did have some grass).

On my 1977 visit it seemed almost everything was housed on concrete even the antelopes

 

[steveroberts]

On my 1977 visit it seemed almost everything was housed on concrete even the antelopes

Yeah that would of been really sad to see. First visiting in 1994 personally the zoo had by them renovated pretty much everything so didn't witness them languishing on and surrounded by concrete (although the monkey pits were looking overdue for the monkeys to have better homes as were the eles' in the yards around their temple-replica night lockup, and the canyon exhibit at the bottom of the zoo is much better suited now for the red pandas than the sun bears there at the time).

brief 1967 footage including the dolphins (recommend the mute button, the songs' a bit repetitive and annoying)

This from Apr 1969 shows the Warragamba Bullen's African Lion Safari having been recently opened, but the second part shows the recent giraffe born at Taronga, can't get over just how many giraffes were there at the time, wow.

 

[Zoofan15]

Yeah that would of been really sad to see. First visiting in 1994 personally the zoo had by them renovated pretty much everything so didn't witness them languishing on and surrounded by concrete (although the monkey pits were looking overdue for the monkeys to have better homes as were the eles' in the yards around their temple-replica night lockup, and the canyon exhibit at the bottom of the zoo is much better suited now for the red pandas than the sun bears there at the time).

brief 1967 footage including the dolphins (recommend the mute button, the songs' a bit repetitive and annoying)

This from Apr 1969 shows the Warragamba Bullen's African Lion Safari having been recently opened, but the second part shows the recent giraffe born at Taronga, and how can't get over just how many giraffes were there at the time wow.

Thanks for sharing @steveroberts.

I counted 11 giraffes on one side; and three adults and two calves on the other.

Your video has helped clear up some confusion as the studbook lists what I may have otherwise confused for being a double entry. It is clearly two different calves, born a day apart, which would be the two in the video.

They’re listed in the studbook as follows:

1.0 Benangee (18/03/1969) Sent to Goebel 06/03/1971
0.1 Benanzee (19/03/1969) Sent to Goebel 06/03/1971

Note the one letter difference in their name (g/z).

Both were sired by Oigle, who died four months after this video was taken. The female calf was born to Hazel; but the dam of the male calf is unlisted.

The next calf born at Taronga Zoo was:

1.0 Unnamed (06/05/1969) Died 06/06/1969

I assume his dam (also unlisted) is the third adult giraffe shown in what was clearly being used as a maternity yard.

 

[steveroberts]

It's pretty murky but to be expected for an aerial photo from 1930. Taronga and surrounds 1 January 1930 https://portal.spatial.nsw.gov.au/download/historic/CAC/CAC_03_1150.jp2.jpeg

& Contour plan for the site for zoological gardens, Ashton Park near Bradley's Head [Trove] (from 1912 in planning for the zoo - shows the natural ridgelines of the site)